To Statesboro, with love, from the students

May 05, 2015

Matt Sowell

Contributing Writer

We know you'll miss us while we're gone for the summer. To console you until we return, here are a few reminders of just how awesome Statesboro can be when it's a little emptier.

Dear locals, It’s no secret that there’s a little bit of tension between Statesboro residents and the Georgia Southern student body. It’s sort of two different worlds; everything above Fair Road is local, while everything below is student turf. We tend to share the Wal-Mart area, and El Sombrero is sort of a Thanksgiving-type feast where locals and students can break bread (or, in this case, corn chips) together in a moment of harmony. Summer is a special time when those lines are blurred. Locals joyously venture out knowing that there will not be any young adults driving like they’re in Atlanta or 18-year-olds buying three years’ worth of ramen and Red Bull, thus clogging Walmart checkout lines. Statesboro becomes sort of a knock-off resort in the summer. No, we don’t have a beach within walking distance. And no, there’s no open bar or massages. But if you think of things in a certain way, everyday activities become sort of luxurious without 567 of your peers crowding up the town.1. Grocery shopping: Ah, the open plains of the Wal-Mart grocery section. Enjoy pushing a buggy along the aisle of your choice without jockeying for space. Feast among the abundant options because a massive chunk of your population is not buying out the junk food that you're after. 2. The roads: Enjoy the wide-open views as you travel down Fair Road. There will be no one tailgating you or honking at you, and you can turn left out of Cook-Out at total ease. 3. El Som: Explore your spicy side as you indulge in a fiesta of flavor while maintaining your elbow room. Enjoy the luscious Spanish tunes that play over the intercom without hearing a sorority girl scream “I literally can’t even” from across the bar. 4. The farmers market: There are far fewer hipsters. Enough said. 5. Gnat's Landing: Enjoy a slightly quieter variation of trivia nights. As you take in the atmosphere, notice the lack of frat bros singing Luke Bryant. 6. Go on an adventure: While we’re on the subject of bars, take your friends, family or cat on a night out. Enjoy a luxurious night on the town at the local bars normally crowded by college students. Indulge in dollar daqs and shots that are actually probably gasoline and lighter fluid.7. The movies: Go and enjoy a flick without super long popcorn lines. Immerse yourself in the movie as you enjoy it in total darkness, without the lights of cell phones as college students tweet about the plot.

At the end of the day, you know that we college students and you locals will miss each other. By August we’ll all be ready to be reunited. Being one big family is what makes us Eagle Nation — but a vacation from the fam never hurt anyone.